Location: Central Alberta
Client: West Lake Energy Corp.
Problem:
Aspire was approached by a Heavy Oil Producer that operates a number of wells in east central Alberta to design a wellsite oil measurement package. They use progressive cavity pumps to pump oil from the wellbore through the pipeline to the battery. The Producer was experiencing gas breakthrough in the wells and if not caught on time the pumps run dry (no oil fluid) and become damaged. This requires the pump to be replaced costing between $20,000 and $30,000 a change. An existing pump controller was setup to shutdown on high amperage to prevent this from happening but this wasn’t always reliable for a number of reasons. The Producer approached Aspire for a low cost measurement solution to monitor the well and shutdown the pump if the oil flow got to low. Aspire was chosen based on their previous success in building an economical gas measurement package, the FloDrip Wellsite Separator.
Solution:
Aspire had built various heavy oil measurement separators in the past for single wells so didn’t see this as an obstacle. They also saw a huge opportunity for continuous measurement. Other Aspire Clients have experienced significant production increases and reduced operating costs by continuously monitoring the well and making adjustments to the pump speed. By optimizing the fluid level in the well bore the Producer was able to manage the gas breakout and keep the wells running longer. This monitoring was achieved using a simple “cell-phone” communication device and hosted on an internet web display. Together the Production Engineer in Calgary and the Operator in the field worked together to manage all the wells efficiently. Aspire was responsible for integrating all this technology into a simple oil measurement unit that was easy to install with local contractors.
